Skinny Love
by enchanted-nova
Summary: For one night, their love wasn't brittle.


**Skinny Love**

She was leaning up against the wall. Her knees curled in, the bedsheets crinkled about her lithe figure. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing so softly, she appeared to be like an angelic statue in a cemetery. Flaxen locks were spilling over her bare slender shoulders like a waterfall. The lighting in the room was very dim, making her porcelain skin appear almost transparent. She was lost in deep thoughts, the skeletons in her closets had all fallen out. While she merely wished to shove them back inside and lock it forever - she couldn't.

The young woman, twenty-four years of age, swallowed hard and lifted her head. Her round eyes, bluer than the summer skies, rimmed with thick black curly lashes came open. She left out a soft sigh and hugged her legs even tighter. Staring at a blank spot on the snow white wall, the blonde woman closed her eyes at the sound of clothes being put on. She could just imagined him in the bathroom, cursing at himself for what he had done. Biting her lip, the young woman reached for her satin night gown.

She slipped it on with ease over her bare skin. Letting out another sorrow filled sigh, she scooted to the edge of the bed. Just before her feet touched the wooden floor, the bathroom door creaked open. Her blue eyes slowly moved in that direction, her supple pink lips slightly parted, and her hair brushed over one shoulder now. She smiled weakly at the man standing in the doorway.

He flicked off the bathroom light, leaving them in the early morning light. The room was so quiet and the air was filled with tension. He closed the door and ran his fingers through his shoulder length hair. Clearing his throat, the lean muscled man quickly put his hair up into that familiar spiky ponytail. His eyes were downcast to the wooden floor like he was afraid to look at her. It would be wrong of him to leave though, without first looking her in the eye and telling her goodbye.

Neither one knew what to say to the other.

The silence just ticked on for another minute.

The leaky faucet dripped a few times, bringing both of them from their trance. These types of things were never easy and neither of them thought they would do such a thing. When they saw each other that night from across the room, it only took a smile. Soon they were sitting at the bar and reminiscing on the past. They told each other drunken truths, feelings that have been hidden for a long time.

"Last night-" he tried, but the blonde stopped him.

She placed her feet down on the wooden floor. Turning to face him, her eyes looked him up and down. Looking away for a moment, she fought the urge to smile. It was just like before, but this time he wouldn't be staying.

"Pour a little salt," she whispered softly, "we were never here."

He stared at her for a moment, his dark eyes piercing into hers. Swallowing hard, the genius man, her ex-teammate, her ex-boyfriend, turned away in defeat. He couldn't stay, he had to leave. Slipping on his dark green flak jacket, he shoved his hands into his pockets. The way he used to whenever he was disappointed and was about to go on a walk to his favorite cloud watching spot.

As she looked at him standing there like that, it made her lips slowly curve into a little smile. Right there she could see the way things used to be, but things weren't like that anymore. Everything between them lay in dust and ruin, forever lost in the wind. She forced herself to let it all go, but last night it all came screaming back at her. For so long she had been strong and in a small moment of weakness, all the pain had returned. She would have to watch him leave again. All she wanted to do was make him stay and hope they could last just a little while longer.

"I listened to you," he said gently and she tilted her head slightly. "What you said to me...all the months ago. I listened." He gave her a warm smile and she stifled a laugh.

"It was hard back then," she muttered and he nodded in agreement. "I'm happy for you."

"You got everything you ever wanted," he commented with his signature know-it-all smirk.

"Not everything," she admitted sadly, twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

"I'm sorry, Ino." He looked down at the ground and back up at the clock on the wall. It was almost seven, he had to leave soon. "And I was wrong about what I said to you that night." He walked over to her with purposeful steps. When he was standing one step before her, he gently reached out to touch her face.

"Don't," she said softly, closing her eyes at his ghost like touch. "We have nothing left to say to each other." Those words cut her deep, but everything they were was in the past now. He pulled his hand away from her face and started walking to the door.

He placed his hand on the handle and closed his eyes tightly. "I have one last thing," he paused and turned around to look at the beautiful woman, "I loved you." With those words he twisted the knob on the door and was gone like a breath of air.

"Shikamaru," she whispered with a small smile on her lips. Taking in a deep breath, Ino walked over to her little desk that was pushed up against the wall in the corner. Pulling the chair out, Ino took a seat and pulled open the bottom drawer on the left side. She smiled when she saw the picture, reaching into the drawer the blonde pulled it out.

The image was from last year in the spring time. Ino was in a simple white dress and Shikamaru in black pants and a green button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. They looked simply wonderful, but beneath all of that was just a skinny love.

A brittle love that slowly broke at the seams.

"I love you, Shikamaru," she whispered, running her finger over the image.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I wrote this while on my lunch break as I listened to the song Skinny Love (Birdy's version). I hope you all enjoyed it, I apologize for errors, please leave your thoughts.


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